Fastener with flexible cord or the like for securing a pacifier to a garment



July 16, 1968 J. LENOIR 3,392,729

FASTENER WITH FLEXIBLE CORD OR THE LIKE FOR SECURING A PACIFIER TO A GARMENT Filed Jan. 3, 1965 I 'N VEN TOR. JArQUEL/NE LEA 0n? ,4 rive/V5 V United States Patent 3,392,729 FASTENER WITH FLEXIBLE CORD OR THE LIKE FOR SECURING A PACIFIER TO A GARMENT Jacqueline Lenoir, 100 Lawrence Ave., Lodi, NJ. 07644 Filed Jan. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 518,207 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-360) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pacifier unit for attachment to a garment of an infant having a two part fastener element separable to receive a puckered portion of the fabric of the garment, the fastener parts being both on the outer side of the garment and when in assembled relation are securely clamped to the puckered garment portion. A cord element is secured at one end to the outer of the fastener parts and at its other end to a pacifier element, the cord element being of a length such as to render the pacifier element available to the infant when dropped by him and to preclude any possibility of the cord element from twisting around the infants neck.

This invention relates to a securing device for attaching a pacifier such as used by infants to the garment of the infant.

It is well recognized that an infant using a pacifier, frequently drops or release the same from his mouth, resulting in a temporary loss thereof by being dropped on the floor or in the crib or carriage, or on the pavement, thus becoming unsanitary when retrieved, to preclude further use thereof without a prior cleaning or sterilization. To prevent this loss, it is convention-a1 practice to provide the pacifier with a string so that the same will hang from the neck of the infant. This expedient is not only unsatisfactory as the loop of string may slip off from the neck of the infant as it squirms about, but is also dangerous to the extent that the string may become tangled or twisted and thus create the hazard of strangling the infant.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a short length of string which is attached at one end to the pacifier and at its other end to a two-part separable snap-fastener means which is to be secured to the infants garment, with the fabric of the garment between the two snap-fastener parts when in connected relation.

Another object of this invention rel-ates to providing the snap-fastener with an outer dome shaped flat bottomed button having a transverse bore adjacent the tip thereof, for receiving the string, and an axial socket opening into the flat bottom, and an inner flat disc-shaped button having an axial projecting headed stud to be received by the axial socket, both the headed stud and axial socket being so dimensioned as to accommodate the normal fabric thickness of the infants garment there-between in the snapped together connection of the button and disc when attached to said garment.

A further object of this invent-ion relates to providing a modified form of a separable two-part fastener to which the string is attached, which fastener is secured in its entirety to the outside of the infants garment and having an inner part for receiving a puckered portion of the garment and an outer part connected to the inner part such as to cause the latter to clampingly and/or frictionally engage the puckered portion of the garment.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustra- 3,392,729 Patented July 16, 1968 tive only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective partially exploded view of the snap-fastener with pacifier and connecting string.

FIGURE 2 is a detail exploded view of the snap-fastener with one part thereof shown in section taken on line 2-2, FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows the pacifier, connecting string and snap-fastener attached to a garment of an infant.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of garment attaching means.

FIGURE 5 is 'a sectional exploded view of the attaching means of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of one of the parts of the attaching means of FIGURE 4, as viewed from line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the details of the drawing, a pacifier 10 is shown of a conventional type having a nipple 12, a guard 14 and an attachment lug 16 provided with an opening 18. The pacifier 10 as to its shape, size and material, forms no part of the invention. Connecting the pacifier 10 to a snap-fastener 20, see FIGURE 3, is a cord 22 preferably formed of nylon or any other suitable material.

The snap-fastener 20 is formed of any suitable material such as plastic, rubber or metal and consists of an outer dome-shaped button 24 and an inside disc-shaped button 26. The bottom 28 of outer button 24 is preferably flat as shown, though it may also be slightly concave. Extending inwardly and axially of the outer button 24 is an axial socket 30 having a small diameter entrance passage 32 and a large diameter substantially spherical recess 34. Adjacent the outermost tip of the outer button 24 is a transverse bore 36 through which the cord 22 extends. The inside button 26 has a fiat bottom 38 and an arcuate or part spherical front 40, and is made relatively thin as compared to the axial length of the outer button 24, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Projecting integrally and axially from the front 40 is a stud 42 terminating in a substantially spherical head 44. The axial socket 30 of the outer button 24 is so dimensioned with relation to the stud 42 as to accommodate the normal thickness of the fabric making up an infants garment, shown by the dotted lines 50 in FIGURE 2, such that with the inside button 26 on the inside of the garment 50, the stud 42 thereof with a portion of the fabric of garment 50 will be forced into the socket 30 of the outside button 24 to be engaged therein in the manner well known in snap-fasteners so as to be securely engaged one with the other end at the same time attached to the garment 50.

The nylon cord 22 is doubled as shown with its ends appropriately looped through bore 36 in outside button 24 and opening 18 in the attachment lug 16 of pacifier 10, the length of doubled cord 22 is made short, about 7 or 8 inches, and the attachment of the snap-fastener 20- to the garment 50 is at an appropriate location thereon such as to permit complete and easy use of the pacifier 10 by the infant while at the same time precluding any possibility of the cord 22 twisting around the neck of the infant. In the event the pacifier 10 is dropped from the mouth of the infant, it is obvious from the above and as shown in FIG- URE 3, that the same will not become lost but will always 'be available and in sight and within easy reach by the infant who will soon learn to grasp the pacifier and bring it back to his month.

With the snap-fastener 20 disengaged from the garment 50, the entire assembly of pacifier, cord and snapfastener may be washed and/or sterilized in order to maintain the pacifier sanitary at all times.

In FIGURES 4, 5 and 6, a modified form of fastener 60 is shown. In this form of fastener, the entire unit is on the outside of the garment 50a. The fastener 60 consists of a dished disc 62 threaded as at 64 on its peripheral edge. Formed in the disc 62 is a central serrated opening 66 with a plurality of radial slots 68, there being four shown in FIGURE 6, arranged 90 apart. A button housing 70 having a base 72 with an internally threaded flange 74 is provided with an axial cylindrical pocket 76 closed at its outermost end from which extends a lug 78 having an opening 80 therein. The disc 62 and button housing 70 may be formed of plastic, rubber or metal. Looped through opening 80 is a cord 22a similar to 22 for con meeting a pacifier (not shown) to the snap-fastener 60.

In the attachment of the fastener 60 to the fabric of garment 50a, a portion of the fabric at the selected location is puckered as at 82 and inserted through the serrated opening 66 in the disc 62, the disc having its concave side facing the fabric. The button housing 70 is then placed over the disc 62 With the threaded flange 74 threadedly engaging the threads 64 on the periphery of the disc. The disc 62 possesses sufficient flexibility to the extent that the threaded flange 74 will in its movement on the threads 64, cause the button 70 to effect by engagement of the base 72 with the disc 62, a flattening of the same to thereby constrict the serrated opening 66 so as to firmly grip the puckered portion lying therewithin while the portion projecting the-rebeyond will lie within the cylindrical pocket 76 as shown in FIGURE 4. A reverse operation to separate button housing 70 from disc '62 will provide for disengagement of fastener 60 from the garment 50a.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An infant pacifier unit comprising:

(a) a pacifier element,

(b) a cord element connected at one end to the pacifier element,

(c) a dished disc element threaded at its peripheral edge constituting one part of a fastener structure,

(d) there being a central opening having a serrated edge in said disc element with a plurality of radial slots directed from the edge of said opening and terminating short of the peripheral edge thereof,

(e) a button housing including an annular base and a forwardly projecting axial cylindrical pocket closed at its free terminal end constituting a second part of said fastener structure,

(f) an internally threaded peripheral flange on said annular base extending rearwardly therefrom, and

(g) said cord element connected at its other end to said housing pocket and being of such a length as to render the pacifier element available to the infant when dropped by him and to preclude any possibility of the cord element from twisting around the infants neck,

whereby in the attachment of said fastener structure to the infants garment, a puckered portion of the fabric of the garment is passed through the serrated opening in the disc element forming said one part of the fastener structure, and in the threaded connection of the flange of the button housing to the disc element, said disc element wiil be flattened to engage the annular base thus constricting the serrated opening to securely grasp the puckered fabric portion with the projecting portion thereof accommodated in the cylindrical pocket.

2. The pacifier attachment unit of claim 1, including:

(a) a lug having an eye at its end connected to the closed end of said cylindrical pocket through which eye said cord element is passed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 954,066 4/1910 Ware 128360 1,602,305 10/1926 Helm 2472.5 2,612,135 9/1952 Iny 46-175 X 2,902,693 9/1959 Wells 46175 X 3,192,591 7/1965 Cherrin 24245 3,237,904 3/1966 Abruzese 24-245 X FOREIGN PATENTS 420,610 12/1934 Great Britain.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Primary Examiner. 

